A grimace, a smile, and nine years to go
Here’s what awaited me once I received my medical diploma
this spring: A five-year general surgery residency, two years of
research and two years of fellowship. There’s a long road
ahead and the future is mostly what occupies my thoughts now. However,
as medical school graduation has come and gone, I want to look back
at the four years that got me to where I am today.
The first two years of medical school were simply painful. They
were not particularly fun and, quite honestly, I was glad to see
them go. We were in a torturous routine that included class from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., studying until at least 1 a.m., and waking up
the next morning to do it all again. Our only reprieve was the occasional
midnight martini at a local pub. But those two excruciating years
made us stronger by providing us with a foundation of knowledge
that will last a lifetime.
As third year began, I was thrilled with the opportunity to get
into the hospital, see patients and do the job I eagerly had anticipated
for the past decade. The third year was a potpourri of the various
clinical specialties. All of the rotations were interesting, but
general surgery was the introduction to my passion.
As a fourth-year student, I spent more time on surgical rotations.
The most compelling event of medical school occurred during my surgery
subinternship. One morning, the attending physician gave me the
opportunity to assist him on a case, no residents, no fellows, just
the surgeon and me. I had a smile on my face for days. When the
patient returned to clinic ten days later, and I was able to see
the results of our work, the same smile resurfaced. It is my most
memorable experience in medical school.
IUSM has prepared me well, and I will always speak highly of this
institution. Students are clearly a priority here. I will always
remember my inspiring mentors.
I will look back fondly on my time in medical school. And I will
be proud to say that I graduated from the Indiana University School
of Medicine. It was the training ground to prepare me for a life
in medicine.
Karl Y. Bilimoria, MD ‘03, who received a Research Program
in Academic Medicine Award, is preparing for a surgical residency
at McGaw Medical Center at Northwestern University.
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